Meanwhile, strong gusty winds associated with the eastward progression of an intensifying upper atmospheric storm out of New Mexico made travel hazardous in. According the Weather Bureau from the time, "The large funnel alternately dipped and soared, and was followed by trailer funnel, 2 funnels touched ground; witnesses reported spotting a third." Continuing east-northeastward, the violent tornado destroyed a large portion of a residential neighborhood before heavily damaging a commercial building along Southwest Parkway. No fatalities or injuries occurred. The most recent exceptionally destructive storm to hit the Wichita Falls area occurred on April 3, 1964, when a tornado killed 7 people, injured 111, and caused $15 million in damages, including 225 homes that were completely destroyed. WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) . WICHITA FALLS, Texas (TNN) - April 10th, 1979, a day forever ingrained in the minds of those who lived through it. This tornado was part of an outbreak of tornadoes that occurred on May 25-26, 1955 across the southern Great Plains, and included the deadly F5 tornadoes at Blackwell, OK and Udall, KS. Past Weather Events Total damage in the city was estimated at $400 million; five thousand families (or about 20,000 people) were left homeless. I had never witnessed anything of this magnitude. Lawton had been alerted by Tornado Watch #67 and had received a tornado warning issued by WSFO Oklahoma City. Winter Weather Warnings Life Cycle of the Wichita Falls Tornadic Storm. The following table includes data and summaries from the tornadoes that occurred in the area since the late 1800's. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Wichita Falls Tornado. More widespread home destruction occurred in Colonial Park and several more apartment complexes were demolished. We proceeded southwest toward Seymour witnessing a small tornado near Lake Kemp that was accompanied by golf ball size hail. Had we gotten stuck in the damage of the town the chase would have been over. Known as the Red River Valley tornado outbreak or "Terrible Tuesday," 30 tornadoes ran rampant. Each lasted for an hour or more and left a continuous track of ground damage 35 miles or longer. 5) The Wichita Falls Tornado - April 10, 1979. The twister, which had a wide funnel, shrouded the community in darkness as it swept eastward south of Vernon and along the east side of the city, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and 11 directly killed by the tornado (10 in Vernon and 1 in Lockett, TX). By dusk a strong of new, very intense thunderstorms formed farther south in Texas. As the tornado crossed Kemp Boulevard in Wichita Falls, several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, were destroyed with several additional fatalities. Wayne Collamore, Approaching Harrold, Texas from the southeast on Highway 287 - view is looking west at about 4:05 pm CST. We were worried that the rain would get worse before we set up the cameras which was not desirable considering we were on a dirt road. The storm's second tornado, the terrible Wichita Falls tornado, formed at 1755 CST (5:55 PM) to the southwest of the city and moved through the southern and eastern sides of Wichita Falls shortly after 1800 CST (6:00 PM). Just minutes later all counties included in Watch Area #67 were being alerted through statements by the NWS Forecast Offices (WSFOs) at Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. After the tornado left Wichita Falls and travelled northeast, it entered Clay County and changed its appearance. Each parallelogram on the map below represents the approximate aerial coverage shown in each photo. After extensive engineering analysis of the winds necessary to produce the observed structural failure to those buildings, it was concluded that all of the damage could have been produced by winds in the upper part of the F4 range (230 - 260 mph). We left NSSL in Norman, Oklahoma at 10:30 AM to our target of Vernon, TX. Wichita Falls Tornado 1979. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. A second severe thunderstorm pounded the area just north of Brownwood with hail having a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inches. But before the day's end, three very large, devastating tornadoes swept across the area leaving scores dead and hundreds injured. This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1979, primarily in the United States. They survived! April 3, 1964 - A violent tornado struck the northwest section of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base, killing 7 persons and injuring 111 other people. Elizabeth Lee Burk Newton 82 of Wichita Falls Tx. Composed of three funnels fused into one and powerful winds exceeding 250 mph, this F4-rated tornado remained on the ground for an hour, destroying over a fifth of the city, lifting cars into the air, tearing buildings apart, and destroying 2,000 homes. Weather Radio, About Us Tornado Database It was roaring down the hill fairly fast and my chase partner was concerned that we couldn't get out of the path. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes. No damage was reported from this small, weak tornado and it was rated F0. The tornado then destroyed several industrial plants before moving into Clay County just south of TX State Highway 79. Tornado data and F-scale ratings for tornadoes from 1950 to the present are referenced from NWS records. A woman was injured when her truck rolled into the ditch in which she was taking cover. Winston Wells, Current Hazards February 20, 2023 (92 years old) View obituary. This huge F4 first touched down about 3 miles northeast of Holliday. ), June 6, 1936 - A "double twister" was observed by a large gathering of people in Burkburnett as it moved southwest and struck the southwest edge of the city. Tornado tore a large section of roof from an elementary school near. Rivers and Lakes Winston Wells, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas. Mr. Molet continued to take photographs until the wind blew him into his garage. Over 3,000 homes were destroyed and another 1,000 were damaged, and over 1,000 apartment units/ condominiums were destroyed and another 130 damaged. The thunderstorm that fostered that tornado also produced hail up to 3 inches in diameter west of Harrold. 10. Historic data, especially before 1950, are likely incomplete. All the storms this day exhibited violent cloud motions. All NOAA. ", "Storm spotter networks were alerted. Stones as large as two inches were reported further to our northeast. The F5 storm tore through Wichita and Andover, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. This means that those people who moved to the center part of their houses, got down low, and covered themselves, by-in-large escaped with their lives, sustaining injuries instead of death. Hail ranged in sizes "from mothballs to pineapples." Updated: Feb. 23, 2023 at 7:25 AM PST. Local Enhanced Radar (Central Oklahoma-KTLX), Local Standard Radar (KTLX-low bandwidth), Local Enhanced Radar (Southwest OK/Western North TX-KFDR), Local Standard Radar (KFDR-low bandwidth), Local Standard Radar (KVNX-low bandwidth), Averages and Records for OKC, Wichita Falls & Lawton, radar-derived storm tops exceeded 50,000 feet and reflectivities were higher than 50 dBZ, a core of greater than 50 dBZ and two mesocyclones, tornado-associated mesocyclone and hook echo in the right rear portion of the echo, its movement toward the stadium and junior high, >many cars in the mall parking lot were blown some distance and stacked on top of each other, Map of the Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak in North Texas and southern Oklahoma by (Fujita and Wakimoto), Map of Significant Weather Events which occurred between 6 AM CST April 10, 1979 and 6 AM CST April 11, 1979 (Burgess), Tornado Watch Box #67 issued by the National Severe Storms Forecast Center - valid 230 PM to 700 PM CST, April 10, 1979, Storm Track of the Wichita Falls, Texas Supercell on April 10, 1979 (Burgess), Time/Height Profile of the Wichita Falls, Texas Supercell on April 10, 1979 (Burgess), Map of Radar Reflectivity and Mesocyclone Positions of the Wichita Falls, Texas Supercell at 530 pm CST, April 10, 1979 (Burgess), Map of Radar Reflectivity and Mesocyclone Position of the Wichita Falls, Texas Supercell at 600 pm CST, April 10, 1979 (Burgess), Approximate Damage Path of the Wichita Falls Tornado on April 10, 1979 (, Map of the Red River Valley Area of Oklahoma and Texas Showing Communities and Counties Affected by the April 10, 1979 Tornadoes (NOAA Natural Disaster Report 80-1), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Very often, those features of Texas weather having the most import-such as the continuation or cessation of damaging drought, occurrences of flash-flooding rains, sharp changes in temperature, and incidences of tornadoes and hurricanes, cannot be discerned from the volumes of meteorological data that are published periodically. The tornado's first fatalities were recorded in the apartment complex and adjoining housing area. Frank Gohlke's portfolio of 40 black and white photographs, which capture the devastation of the 1979 Wichita Falls Tornado and the landscape a year later, will be on exhibition to mark the anniversary of Terrible Tuesday, April 10, 1979. Winter Weather Safety, Special Programs Flood/Flash Flood Safety Averages and Records Several strong to violent tornadoes touched down throughout the region that day. Photographs indicated that it was a large, cylindrical tornado with a well organized debris cloud. Please select one of the following: Table 1 -- Casualty and Property Losses -, GOES Visible Satellite Images (1530Z 4/10/1979 - 0014Z 4/11/1979), GOES Infrared Satellite Images (0000Z - 0600Z 4/11/1979). By the way, here's a USA Today article about the 1979 tornado with a photo of that monster. The passage of a violent tornado through an 8-mile section of a city is an almost unheard-of natural disaster. A sharp temperature gradient immediately preceded the movement of the drier air into the region at 850 mb (Figure 20), while at 700 mb the axis of maximum winds was positioned directly overhead the upper Red River valley (Figure 21) and appreciable vertical motion was evident (Figure 22). Well-built modern houses, in general, offer fairly good protection from tornadoes. The awesome "freight train like sound" was audible from the Weather Bureau Airport Station. As seen in the photographs by Winston Wells (Tornado Track Figure; Location #10), the tornado became multi-vortex, displaying as many as five satellite vortices rotating around the center of circulation. July 21, 1961 - A small, weak tornado touched down briefly in the eastern part of Wichita Falls, about 3 miles from the airport. A storm appeared on the horizon that had developed far to our south near Abilene. It inflicted additional F0-F2 damage south of Dean and Byers, but no more fatalities occurred. The tornado moved to the north-northwest during its life before lifting 2 miles from Burkburnett. Within 30 minutes the tornado, with a track that varied between 1/2 and 1 1/2 miles wide and 8 miles long, had sped across the southern portion of Wichita Falls. Cool Pictures. Seventeen hundred injuries were reported in Wichita Falls. Tornado Understand a Tornado: A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground. It was the remains of her home. Two trailers were destroyed, and three homes were damaged. The most devastating tornado of the day dipped from a thunderstorm (with a top estimated at 58,000 feet) that was moving northeastward into Wichita Falls at a speed of 35 miles per hour a few minutes before 6:00. The tornado moved eastward, was a visible as a column of dust that extended from the ground to the base of its parent thunderstorm, and was probably a landspout tornado. among them is this still life with tornado that can be your partner. In addition, approximately 140 mobile homes were destroyed, two schools were demolished and 11 others sustained serious damage. However, widespread high winds from the parent supercell thunderstorm also produced extensive damage in the Wichita Falls, Iowa Park and Burkburnett areas. Maximum path length was about 3/4 mile and the width was 50 to 60 yards. This storm appeared insignificant compared to what we had seen so we drifted southwest in search of something better. We received the following letter from Joel Manes, who was living in Wichita Falls, Texas on April 10, 1979. Additional light rural damage occurred in the miles of Wichita County that the tornado covered. 1 Wilbarger County, TX. During this time I navigated and Eddie drove. On that spring day, three large supercell storms developed, each producing a series of tornadoes that moved quickly across the northern Texas and southern Oklahoma plains. The school building was totally destroyed by the tornado. Non Precipitation Warnings The first tornado formed near Seymour at around 4:53 pm. Home; Exhibits and Displays Suite 2400Norman, OK 73072(405) 325-3816Comments? Data modified as described in NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database"). Six barns and two homes were destroyed. The tornado expanded in size as it crossed Southwest Parkway, throwing automobiles about and leveling a number of businesses, including a bank and a fire station. Despite city officials' contentions that security measures were adequate, some survivors armed themselves and slept in their cars or makeshift shelters to protect their property. as derived from photogrammetric analysis. Although roughly 4,000 homes were struck by the tornado, there were only five fatalities of people inside homes along the path of the tornado. Several homes were demolished, and a number of barns were partially destroyed. In addition, the author hopes that the analyses will serve as a handy source of reference to those who seek to recall the past and those whose research work attempts to relate the weather to other aspects of human existence. Even though lesson #3 (above) is true in a violent tornado, the only complete guarantee of safety comes from an underground shelter, an above-ground shelter, or an extremely strongly-built building. Two barns were also destroyed and scattered across a field. The northeastern mesocyclone in the mesocyclone pair was the occluding parent circulation of the Seymour tornado while the southwestern mesocyclone in the pair was the developing parent circulation of the Wichita Falls tornado. The tornado dissipatedtwo minutes later and caused no damage. However, several small communities, among them Harrold, Texas and Grandfield, Oklahoma, were hit by the storm. Historical weather events. At the Iowa Park Fairgrounds, wind damage covered a 4-block area. On that day, at least 13 separate tornadoes touched down in the Texas/Oklahoma area, striking Wichita Falls, Vernon, Seymour, and a number of other towns. The most active portion of the advancing dry line traversed this sector of the Low Rolling Plains at precisely the time of occurrence of the tornado outbreak (Figure 19). The event would put Wichita Falls in the national news and history books, while almost taking it off of the map. Surface Maps . March 3, 1973 - The Wichita Falls police department reported a small tornado touching down briefly in the vicinity of Midwestern University. Surprisingly, very few fatalities occurred in Faith Village. Caused $190,000 in damage. Questions? Summer Weather Safety Watch. Cool Photos. The Wichita Falls storm produced a third and final tornado about 2000 CST (8:00 PM) near Pruitt, OK. Also, the second story of the press box at the high school football stadium was blown off and scattered across the playing field. Interview She and her family couldn't find their dog. Tornado warning and preparedness systems are worth the time and effort it takes to maintain them. At about the mid-point in the atmosphere (around 500 mb), significant cold air advection occurred, thus exacerbating unsettled conditions, already present (Figure 23). A tornado on the gust front developed at 3:01 pmCST near Wichita Falls Municipal Airport and traveled east approximately 1/2 mile before dissipating near Sheppard AFB at 3:04 pmCST. This thunderstorm spawned a tornado with a continuous ground track of almost 60 miles. As it moved north of Southwest Parkway, the tornado destroyed many homes in both the Western Hills Addition and the Faith Village Addition and severely damaged Ben Milam Elementary School. Over 100 commercial businesses, some of them large manufacturing concerns, were destroyed. As the tornado neared the road it began to shrink in size and slowed a little, aiding our hasty retreat. Another tornado swept the community of Harrold soon thereafter, causing much less extensive damage. Golfball-size hail fell prior to and immediately after the tornado passed along a track that took it into Oklahoma (where it dissipated near Waurika). The Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak of 10 April 1979 Location Help Wintry and Cold Conditions Continue Across Much of the U.S. McNiel Junior High School is shown in the middle left of this and all of the following photos. Other homes, barns, and outbuildings were damaged. Eddie was trying to tell me something; finally with some tugging, he got my attention. The Terrible Tuesday video can be viewed via the NWS Norman YouTube Channel or below. We continued south passing a damage path across the highway from the Harrold tornado. At this time the tornado was just getting planted well to our southwest. April 3, 1964 - A violent tornado struck the northwest section of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base, killing 7 persons and injuring 111 other people. June 16, 1997 - A survey conducted by a National Weather Service meteorologist confirmed that an F1 tornado touched down briefly about 5 miles southeast of Burkburnett (or 1.5 miles north of the north end of Sheppard AFB). The electrical power to local stations was down from the storm which prevented the gas pumps from operating and us from getting more gas. (Documented and rated F2 by Grazulis. 2 All times in Central Standard Time. The collingsworth family is a southern gospel /inspirational group started by phil and kim collingsworth and features their family as the group. The warnings were being broadcast repeatedly by two local TV stations and three local radio stations which were receiving continuously updated information over the emergency hotline connecting them with the Wichita Falls WSO. Every year in the United States the threat of a catastrophe looms whenever tornadoes approach large gatherings of people. We think this was the early stages of the Vernon tornado. auto-related; 16 of that total died while in their autos trying to flee the storm, and 11 of that number abandoned homes not touched by the tornado. Horner was . Joe Henderson, View looking southwest at the approaching tornado from the roof of Bethania Hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas. April 8, 1961 - A small tornado formed near Kamay at 4:00 pmCST, moved northeast across the Wichita Valley Airport, and then moved into Sheppard AFB. The tornado then crossed over Kemp Boulevard and destroyed several commercial businesses, including a restaurant, resulting in several additional fatalities. The tornado was at the top of the hill less than a mile away. 16 of those 25 vehicle related deaths were from people leaving their homes to escape the. Suite 2400Norman, OK 73072(405) 325-3816Comments? In this stage, the tornado did extensive damage just south of Dean and near Byars, destroying a large number of rural homes, but causing no more fatalities, The suffering and destruction caused by the Wichita Falls tornado is nearly inconceivable. A few hours earlier that day, another tornado tore through Vernon, killing 10 residents and injuring more than 60 others. Please Contact Us. 45 people died in the Wichita Falls tornado. When was the last time there was a tornado in Wichita? Pat Blacklock. A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak impacted the Red River Valley on April 10, 1979. Small buildings were damaged or destroyed, and roofs, signs, oil field derricks and tanks were damaged. Other data was found using U.S. Total property damage in Wichita Falls was estimated at $400,000,000 (in 1979 dollars). The tornado first touched down at 2:35 pm CST north of the intersection of Farm Road 369 and Seymour Highway. The tornado cut through a field and went into a housing addition on the southwest edge of Sheppard AFB. Pat Blacklock, View looking north-northwest from south shore of Lake Wichita at the tornado approaching Wichita Falls, Texas. More Observations The tornado originated from a weak thunderstorm with a radar top of only 16,000 feet. On April 3, 1964, a devastating F5 tornado hit the northern region of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base. #1. Multiple vortices are seen in this photo. A detailed mapping of each house and public/commercial building in the city led to the construction of an F-scale map. During this period, large hail was occurring in the central and northern portions of Wichita Falls as the tornado devastated the southern portion of the city. The Red River Valley Tornadoes of April 10, 1979. . The North Texas town of Wichita Falls has seen three major tornadoesin 1958, 1964, and another in 1979. Also nearby, about 10 utility poles were snapped near the top with debris falling on fences and other sheet metal buildings. Daily Weather History Bailey Turnpike to Lawton we were in low clouds with light fog and drizzle. ), May 26, 1955 - A small tornado touched down briefly at 1:38 am CST, moved northeastward along a narrow, 1-mile path and demolished a "washateria" and produced severely damaged several utility poles, business structures, homes, and trees. The clouds would roll over like they were collapsing into a deep hold. Six cross-country steel transmission towers were destroyed just east of Farm Road 2650. (Rated F2 by the NWS. Winter Weather The path length was 9 miles in Texas and 55 miles in Oklahoma. Evan got up, the moonlight bouncing off his not so wicked blue eyes. By the end of the day we had seen four tornadoes, Thalia, Vernon (although not well), Lake Kemp, and Seymour. In Wichita Falls, an emergency hotline to key local officials, TV, and radio stations assured rapid and complete local dissemination. Graphical Forecasts apartments in dallas that allow airbnb Uncovering hot babes since 1919. Radio and TV stations aired the Tornado Watch so that most people were alerted to the threat and ready for warning messages and sirens that were to come later. Barely one week later, phenomenally great amounts of rainfall poured on the southeastern sector of the State, taking 4 lives and inundating parts of numerous communities. Moving into the air base proper, the tornado destroyed 5 unoccupied 2-story barracks, damaged a hanger, power installations, transformer station, paint shop, and the base's 10-story control tower. Scary stuff. Ben Milam Elementary School was heavily damaged, as the cafeteria-auditorium was completely destroyed and exterior class rooms were pummeled by flying debris. The wide swath of damage can also be seen by viewing the NASA aerial photographs (aerial photos 1-10 on the damage photo tab) and the other aerial photographs (photos 7 & 8 on the damage photo tab). The Wichita Falls tornado formed in Archer County and moved northeast and damaged a few rural homes and high voltage towers at F1-F2 intensity. For example, the police chief called the city manager out of a meeting with county commissioners. The tornado blew many of those vehicles off those roadways, inflicting numerous fatalities. He is now self-employed and lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas. After crossing U.S. Highway 281, the twister then struck the Sun Valley neighborhood and destroyed additional homes, apartments, and businesses on the south side of U.S. Highway 287. 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